Addison Anna Pidge 38, Barrister in the Employ of Lathelan, Preminger, Orthos & Pidge; Barrister of Record for Lucius Malfoy.
Lucius Malfoy 44, Defendant. Charged with abetting known criminals in various acts of kidnapping, torture and murder. (Prosecutorial attempt to further charge defendant under the “Black Arts Defendant & Deatheater Original Group” Act were dropped when Defense agreed to sever the trials of Mr. Malfoy & his wife, Narcissa Black Malfoy.)
Harry James Potter 18, Witness for the Prosecution.
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Shuffling the papers in front if her, Addison Pidge felt again the sharp pains of the tension headache that had taken permanent refuge inside her left temple. She had tried every draught and charm she could think of, but to no effect. She had almost decided that this was the Universe’s retribution for her daily verbal manhandling of what amounted to a load of school children, when she remembered poor old lamented Levitron Lathelan. Removing her eyeglasses, she rubbed her left eye, and then massaged her left temple, exactly as he had done for the ten years she had worked for him.
“To the Victor goes the spoils,” she whispered sardonically to herself. Having taken on the cases of the Malfoys had finally gotten her the partnership she had been seeking for fifteen years, but apparently eternal pain was the cost.
For seven weeks now, her most able opponent had carted into court what seemed like every young witch and wizard in the magical world. He had extracted such devastating
stories of torture and loss, especially from poor Hermione Granger, that Addison’s colleagues were beginning to question her sanity for not having just pled Guilty and been done.
When the name “Neville Longbottom” rang out in the courtroom there was not a dry eye in the house. A good eighty percent of those present had witnessed the trials that had ensued after the torturing to madness of his parents, and for him to sit so stoically recounting the house of horrors that Hogwart’s School of Witchcraft and Wizardry had become after the Ministry of Magic had fallen to Voldemort had touched every heart.
But finally, Merciful Heavens, the end was near. Harry Potter had started his testimony, the last one and the worst. The prosecutor had run the gamut on Potter, and now it was her turn to cross-examine him. The Press, Her Firm, and no doubt everyone else in the Wizarding World expected a quick, happy ending with Malfoy being sent to Azkaban to be quietly forgotten. Unfortunately, Addison knew something that they did not. For all intents and purposes, Lucius Malfoy was innocent as charged.
Kingsley Shacklebolt, the new Minister of Magic, stood up and demanded order. Six Aurors led a pale, defeated looking Malfoy into the courtroom. He sat down at the tall, steel chair in the middle of the room, the shackles clanking shut on his arms and legs. Addison had known Lucius Malfoy, man and boy, for almost thirty years. She had met him when she was eight and he had courted her older sister, through Hogwarts where he was an upperclassman and one of the leading Slytherins, to now, where she was the only thing standing between him and Azkaban, and her opinion had never wavered. He was rotten to the core.
“Your Honor.” Addison stood as she addressed Minister Shacklebolt. “At this time I would like to recall one Mr. Harry James Potter to the stand.”
Harry Potter entered the courtroom. Seeing Mr. Potter was always somewhat startling to Addison. He looked so much like his father, James Potter. She had known his father at Hogwarts. She had mentioned this to Potter the first time he had come to her office to be deposed. He had laughed and said that from the look on her face she had obviously been a Slytherin. She assured him that she had most certainly been sorted into the proud House of Slytherin. She had liked him from the start and felt a small pang for what she now had to do.
“Mr. Potter.” She began, looking straight into his eyes. He evenly returned her gaze and she was glad to see his demeanor was straightforward and respectful. The blind hatred she had seen in Miss Granger’s eyes haunted her to this day. ”If we could, I would like to return to the night when you left your Uncle’s home for the last time, July 27, I believe.” The young man nodded yes, which she noted and she continued. “You mentioned that after your group was over taken by Lord Voldemort…”
“Please, his name was Tom Riddle,” Harry interrupted.
“Fine, Mr. Potter.” She beamed broadly up as Minister Shacklebolt, both taking pride in the young man’s cheekiness. “After Tom Riddle…” she stopped again as the room erupted in laughter, “overtook your group, you had mentioned that a duel broke out between you and Lord… Mr. Riddle. You stated in court yesterday that he had begun to use the Killing Curse on you, and you were sure you were dead, but something strange happened. Could you please recount for us what occurred then?”
“My wand, it was like it had a mind of its own.” Harry paused, swallowed hard and continued, “I didn’t have time to react as he’d swooped in on me so suddenly, but like I said I didn’t have to. My wand shot this, like, fire and it somehow stopped the curse.”
“Thank you, Mr. Potter.” She looked again at Minister Shacklebolt, saying, “If it pleases the court, I would like to address my next question to the defendant. “Mr. Malfoy, do you have any knowledge as to why Mr. Potter’s wand would have acted so strangely?”
“How on Earth would I know that, you stupid woman?” Malfoy scoffed. “I wasn’t there, was I?
“You weren’t there, sir? She turned and stared hard at him, as she sarcastically said, “You, one of the most infamous Death Eaters of our time? Could you please tell the court why you weren’t there?
“The Dark Lord required my wand, so I gave it to him.” He looked into Addison’s eyes, sneering, I wasn’t much use without a wand.”
For the Record, Your Honor, I would like to stipulate that as of July 27 of last year, my client, Lucius Malfoy was wandless.” Pausing to let this sink in she began again.
“Mr. Malfoy. Where were you when the Dark Lord informed you that he required your wand?”
“In the drawing room of my home, Malfoy Mansion.” He looked at her sideways as he answered. “As you have heard countless times over these many weeks, the Dark Lord had taken over my home as his Headquarters.”
“Thank you, Mr. Malfoy.” She turned to Harry. “Now, Mr. Potter, if you could please recall for us how you found yourself to be in Malfoy Mansion?”
“I was completely stupid. Ron had warned me more than once that they had put a jinx on Voldemort’s name, but I went mental with anger and didn’t care. So, I used his name, and wham, we were swarmed by Snatchers. They figured out who we were and took us to Malfoy Mansion.”
“Was the Dark Lord/Tom Riddle/Voldemort,” she paused again for laughter, than resumed, “in residence at the time?”
“No. The defendant and Bellatrix Lestrange,” he spat her name in hatred, “were fighting over who would summon him.”
“Do you remember their exact words, Harry?” she asked, pleading with her eyes that he would remember the correct answer.
“Lucius Malfoy said that he would summon him, being as he was the master of the house, it was under his authority, but Bellatrix laughed at him, saying that his authority had been lost along with his wand.”
“Harry, do you know when this conversation took place?” said Addison.
“Draco Malfoy was there.” Harry looked at her and resumed. “His Mum said it was Easter Holidays at Hogwarts.”
“Thank you again, Mr. Potter. If it pleases the court, I would again like to stipulate
that as of the last week of March to the first week of April, Mr. Malfoy was still wandless, and now we can add to that evidence that without his wand, as one of the most powerful Death Eaters had affirmed, he had no power within the group.”
“Four more questions.” Addison thought. “Just four more brutal, little questions.” She wondered what the pundits in the press would do to her after this. After Hermione Granger’s testimony, one said he was sure Addison had plenty of potion ingredients as her hobby was obviously pulling the wings off flies.
“Now Mr. Potter.” Addison threw an over the glasses look at the Minister of Magic, who shrugged his shoulders in sympathy. “Was there ever a time when you over heard a conversation between Mr. Tom Riddle and Severus Snape?’
“Ma’am, that wasn’t a conversation.” Harry looked down at his hands folded in his lap, then turned his head to look into Addison’s eyes. She saw him fighting to control his emotions, as he swallowed hard and said, “That was Snape fighting for his life.”
“Why would Mr. Riddle want to kill Severus Snape?” Addison said thinking, “Two down, two to go.”
“He thought if Snape was dead the Elder Wand would work on me.” Harry said sounding surprisingly matter of fact. “Malfoy’s wand obviously hadn’t.”
“Mr. Potter.” When you walked into the Forbidden Forest to,” Addison paused seeking the least cruel expression, “confront Mr. Riddle, was the defendant present?”
“Yes. I have had the great misfortune to meet Malfoy Senior on numerous occasions.” For the first time, Harry looked over at the defendant. “He was one of the few I knew.”
Did Mr. Malfoy do anything in the Forbidden Forest?” Addison asked slowly.
Puzzled, Harry said, “No. He looked too scared to have done anything.”
“Thank for your testimony, Mr. Potter,” Addison said, giving the boy a small, respectful bow. “You may go.”
Harry gave her a polite nod of his head in return and left the courtroom.
“Now, Mr. Malfoy, at the Final Battle of Hogwarts,” Addison asked turning her attention to Malfoy “did you do anything remotely heroic?”
“All my wife and I cared about at that point was the welfare of our son.” Malfoy answered. “So no, no heroics.”
Thank you Mr. Malfoy. If it pleases the court the defense would like to end their testimony. I believe, Sir,” Addison looked up at Shacklebolt and continued.
“Mr. Malfoy’s charges of abetting known criminals in various acts of kidnapping, torture and murder is patently ridiculous, as none of them wanted his help!”
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Addison sat on the veranda of the four-star restaurant watching the nightfall quietly overtake London. “I love Bulgarian Blue Stuff,” she intoned happily sipping the frothy concoction. For the first time in weeks her head wasn’t throbbing.
“So, what did Malfoy say to you after we acquitted him?” Kingsley asked, helping himself from the shrimp appetizer platter.
“Oh, that man is without doubt the world’s number one berk!” Addison took another drink offered by the waiter replying, “He said he was glad I got him acquitted, but did I have to make him look so pathetic? I told him, ‘I didn’t make you look pathetic, Lucius, because the sad fact of the matter is, you are pathetic!’”
“Well, things with Potter went a lot better than that. He was disappointed that Malfoy went free, but he understood how those idiot Prosecutors mismanaged the charges against the Malfoys by joining their cases, so I had no choice.” Shacklebolt accepted another drink of his own and continued. “If I didn’t agree to sever, Narcissa would have done as much time as her husband. He said he knew she only saved his life to save her son, but he still wouldn’t have liked to see her in Azkaban. He liked our new “Black Arts Defendant & Deatheater Original Group” Act, since some Dark Arts crimes are hard to prove, but a pattern of bad acts is easier to track. I told him I came up with “BAD DOG” in memory of Sirius Black and the injustice he had to endure. He especially liked that I had to cheat and make Death Eater one word so it would fit!”
To the Victor by leahsm2
Chapter Notes: This is for the August One-Shot Challenge: The Trail of Lucius Malfoy
I am leahsm2 of Slytherin